I normally write about authors, my love of reading, or the great literacy events I get to be involved in; however, I recently accomplished a different kind of long-term goal.  I ran — yes, the whole thing — a half marathon!  I’d been thinking about this for a long time (having been a runner most of my adult life), but something held me back from trying in earnest until recently.  I’m not sure why — maybe a fear of failing, maybe having a good idea of how much work it would take to be race-ready, or maybe it was just my inner couch potato saying, “really? why? there must be something good on TV right now!”

And then finally last fall, after several fun (read: short) races, I decided it was now or never.  I started training, and I never looked back.  There were days when it was hard, very hard to get up and run.  I ran in the cold, in the rain, and sometimes very early in the morning (4:45!), just to keep my training routine up.  In the end, it was totally worth it.  Crossing that finish line felt better than just about any other accomplishment in my life!  I celebrated by purchasing a 13.1 magnet for my car.  It makes me smile every time I see it.  I won’t say I’m addicted, but I am thinking about doing another one in the fall…